Unitywater staff walk off the job

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UNITYWATER workers walked off the job from its Maroochydore and Morayfield depots at 11.30am as battle over a new industrial agreement continues to escalate.

The workers will not return to their positions today under protection action with unions signalling there is more to come.

The ETU and AMWU are due to meet with Unitywater representatives on May 26.

AMWU organiser Ricky Luke said temporary fencing had been erected across the entrance to the Morayfield depot.

He said Unitywater had sent letters to employees Tuesday saying contractors would now be used to do all out of hours work, call out jobs and overtime.

“We are ready and able to do that work but they are using fear, intimidation in threatening permanent jobs,’’ Mr Luke said.

“They are paying contractors triple time rates which will deliver neither productivity gains or cost savings.

“It;s a tactic which is no fault of the contractors used to break down entitlements and conditions of permanent workers.”

Mr Luke said although a new award was being made under federal jurisdiction workers were still employed under the conditions set under their current arrangements.

“We are trying to negotiate a new agreement which protects the conditions under which staff are currently working,’’ he said.

Mr Luke dismissed as ludicrous Unitywater claims what was being sought by unions would add $40,000 to individual salaries.

He has called on the utility to table the figures to support the statement.

Mr Luke said to date unions had only sought to ensure clauses from the existing agreement were included in the new to protect current conditions and entitlements.

“We are yet to negotiate any improvement to those,’’ he said.

Mr Luke said unions had lifted maintenance bans as a show of good faith they did not want to put public safety at risk.

Unitywater has defended its claim about union claims adding $40,000 to salaries saying it was based on the log of claims made by the AMWEU and ETU.

“These costings were provided to both unions at Enterprise Agreement meetings late last year. This information was further provided to the unions in writing on 3 December 2015,’’ a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson rejected outright AMWU claims about pay rates paid to contractors saying the wages and allowances paid to contractors were presented to the unions at an EA meeting late last year.

She said Commissioner Booth of the Fair Work Commission had on April 5 accepted there was no existing agreement that covers employees and, further, “that the wages and conditions of employees at Unitywater are currently regulated by the NES and the modern award which is the Water Industry Award 2010”.

“Unitywater will continue to work with the ETU and AMWU to negotiate a new agreement in good faith that benefits all parties,’’ the spokesperson said.